Simon Says game online

How to play Simon

1. Press Test yourself to start.
2. One shape lights up. Tap it.
3. The shapes light up again, with one more at the end. Repeat the whole sequence from the start.
4. Keep going as long as you can. At your first mistake the game ends and shows the level you reached.

On a computer you can also play with the keyboard: keys 1, 2, 3, 4 match the four shapes.

The story of Simon

Simon was invented by Ralph H. Baer and Howard J. Morrison and launched in 1978 at Studio 54 in New York. The name comes from the children’s game Simon Says. The mechanic comes from Touch Me, a 1974 Atari arcade game, which Baer improved with coloured buttons and pleasant tones.

The four tones of the original toy formed an A major chord, so any combination would sound harmonious. It was an immediate hit, and a 1978 unit is now part of the Smithsonian collection.

What is different in Memory Flash

• Shapes, not just colours. Circle, triangle, square and diamond can be told apart without colour, so the game also works for colour-blind players.
• Three modes. The Daily sequence is the same for everyone, once a day. Free play is classic Simon with unlimited attempts. Training has 30 rounds, with a PDF report after each stage.
• Leaderboard and percentile. After every game you see how you compare with other players.
• No download. It opens in your browser on phone, tablet or computer.

Tips for higher levels

• Chunk it. Don’t remember 9 separate shapes. Remember 3 groups of 3. This technique, called *chunking*, is explained in the working memory guide.
• Name them. Say “circle, circle, diamond, square” in your head. Your inner voice is a second memory channel alongside the image.
• Follow the path. The shapes never move, so the sequence becomes a drawing on the grid: up, down, right.
• Restart calmly. After a mistake, take a short break. Rushed attempts almost always go worse.